I too will play both male and female characters, as long as they're interesting and I can relate to them. I like the Sherlock Holmes games and Nancy Drew is always fun, even if the games are first person.

I can't think of any character I've played that I haven't liked yet but I also do tend to like the first person games, because I can be the character.

Jehane, I see your point about Phoenix and agree with you to an extent, though I thought she was a complex character underneath a whole lot of denial. If you read her journal, you can see a lot of her internal conflict. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more changes in her in Culpa 2.

Regarding Adrienne, yes she was incredibly annoying and not very bright. She kept saying she didn't believe in ghosts even after she'd had several terrifying visions, and you have to wonder why she didn't just try to leave that house at some point.

Personally, I also enjoyed Ann in Paradise. I thought it was a very realistic portrayal of amnesia, and I just loved the game in general, disregarding the bugs and a certain swinging cage sequence.

A good game is a good game and gender shouldn't really be a factor imo.

ok Lara croft was a distraction but others like Zoe from Dreamfall I was able to identify totally with the protagonist.

Nancy Drew's voice actor,Lani Minella, is superb! As is April and Kate Walker. But like the rest of you as long as the game is absorbing either male or female is fine with me!

I of course agree that it is not important which gender the character is as long as they are 'flashy' and the story is good.
And talking about 'barbie' females - I'd like to see a 'Brad Pitt lookalike' in a game. LOL, Just kidding! Or maybe not?

Or Johnny Depp? He would make a terrific game character wouldn't he?

There are a few Johnny Depp look alike in games.

Dead Reefs - Finvinero
Tales of Monkey island 3: Lair of Leviathan - Bugeye

I thought Kian Alvane from Dreamfall looked a lot like a Ken doll. And Max from the Secret Files games looks a bit like Brad Pitt when he was younger.

Personally, I automatically find the female main characters more interesting somehow. On the other hand there very few truly memorable ones (like Grace Nakimura).

I'd like to have more characters to be in their 30s or older (like Gabriel Knight was). I think the characters' maturity would demand bringing to them additional depth by the writers.

How about a Mrs. Pollifax? In her sixties, learning kratie, yoga, even finding a new life and husband. I real body not a Barbie doll. What kick that would be. Either sex, but story driven and interesting. Another way to travel and see the world.
Charllotte

Vampyre story...now that was an annoying voice

I'd never heard of Mrs. Pollifax before, so I checked the ***Wikipedia description***.
So now that I know who she is, I think Mrs. Pollifax would be a fine character for a game.

Ragnar Tournquist does EXCELLENT, in my opinion, with female characters. They're not wussy or wimpy or prissy. To me, they're very believable and...very much like ME. They're opinionated, adventurous, bright (if I do say so myself...lol), and I enjoy his characters VERY much.

As a matter of fact, I'm very excited about an upcoming MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) that Ragnar is working on called "The Secret World." I can hardly WAIT until that is released! I guess that would fall more into the "darkside" topics of the forums, but...Mr. Tournquist is the creative designer behind such adventures as Dreamfall, The Longest Journey, and the Syberia series, as well. I always look forward to playing any game he's involved in, because I know the female characters won't be all about just big breasts, tiny waists, even more microscopic brains, and "armor" that looks like stripper attire. YAY for Ragnar Tournquist!

Great topic, by the way. There is definitely noticeable sexism in the world of gaming, to be sure. But...it will continue to get better, I believe.

Jenny100,
Mrs. Polifax, a great series of books. Funny, different, twisted mysteries. They also have men in them so they could work like George & Nico, or Gabriel & Grace.
They re-read as well as GK & BS replay.

Sorry got off of the subject.

Charllotte

great topic !
i agree some of the older-type male characters would be refreshing ,and yep! some older characters.
i'm with Jenny on the cameron files - he was a really unique character( and a dreamy voice on the first couple) and definitely there are book and tv models that could be built on for something different.
carol reed is another interesting female lead. but i would like to see more men ,more women (not nubile young girl types) and more characters who just look like real people.

Beerhead
I think your comment or complaint is right on. I am also female and it astounds me how females that are so young are FBI agents or any kind of cop/detective, etc.

Someone else here mentioned about playing as third person so we can be any gender we want to be.

I loved playing the Syberia games and I really like Kate Walker, but even Myst style games I like where it doesn't take in account any gender and the player is totally alone to figure out puzzles.

In short, I totally agree with your assessment. I wonder why there are so many female protagonists as the problem solver? Hmmm...

Hm, I suppose the young female syndrome never bothered me. I just assumed quite a few of them were in their early thirties. As a woman in her thirties who is often mistaken for an early twenty-something, I could relate to that. (Believe me, that's not necessarily a compliment, even though I know it "should be." )

For me the age of the character doesn't necessarily matter (although it can). April Ryan in TLJ is one of my favorite characters just because she is so well written. I could even be happy playing as a twelve year old - i.e., The Whispered World - as long as the character and the story are well told. Wouldn't want to play that age all the time, though.

However, with that said, like many of you, I would definitely like to see some older characters, too, along with some more intricate characters and plot lines. I really enjoyed Leonardo in The Abbey as an example. And of course, I'm a huge fan of Gabriel and Grace. Though I don't think Grace is any older than many leads we see today, she comes across that way as her character is well written and nuanced.

Speaking of the Brad Pitt characters etc, I was just thinking of a male lead character running around the screen in short shorts and a singlet (Lara Croft style), and another character asking what on earth he was wearing... and him replying "Isn't this the correct attire for a lead character in a computer game?"

It would be interesting to know the male/female ratio of adventure gamers. Are the game developers catering to the primary audience of adventure gamers?

While I (male) do not care much one way or the other about the sex of the main character, I do draw the line at a female FBI agent wearing a mini-skirt and impractical clumpy boots.

This is a great topic!
Personally I don't mind women as main characters if they have a unique and believable personality (same with the male characters). But that's not likely to be the case if she's the "perfect woman" and the "perfect detective/fighter" at the same time.

As for men protagonists, there's Professor Samuel Hunt in AGON - a male character of older age, wearing glasses. Or even Jonathan Hunt of Yoomurjak's Ring, in his thirties. They're quite unique characters.